Hello and welcome to dateline. They were a couple with a bright future. She was a selfconfident 19yearold known for her beautiful voice. He was her devoted boyfriend with big ambitions. Then a brutal attack shattered their dreams. It was a crime that would shake a small southern town to its core and pit a family against the community they called home. Heres Keith Morrison with, what happened to the beauty queen . Look at her. Look at the young woman at the heart of our story. You can see how lovely she is. The young beauty queen. Can you see her vulnerability . By now your First Impression is probably locked in. Its very unlikely to change, and certainly thats how it was in russellville, arkansas, a town where a First Impression hardened like a patch of cement. About her and also, for better or worse, about the young man accused of killing her. The boyfriend found the body. The boyfriend who found the body. First impressions die hard, including First Impressions of murder. And years later in this small southern town, we had to ask, can they ever change . Of course, that question is quite obvious now to kevin jones, but years ago he didnt give a think who he impressed or who didnt. All he knew was this. He was going places. He was from a good family. Lived near a wonderful city called russellville and was well liked. Oh, and was adored by one girl in particular, his High School Sweetheart nona. She was kind of like a soul mate, i suppose. Yeah. I was closer to her than anybody else. He was going to marry her some day. She was, after all, about the prettiest girl in town. Local beauty pageant judges were wowed by her looks and poise. They had already crowned her as such. But heres another truth her boyfriend came to realize. Beauty really isnt everything. Nona was a sometimes troubled girl given to bouts of emotional turmoil. Her mother was grateful to kevin for making her daughter happy. Kevin was really interested in helping nona get through some of the hard times she was having. He seemed to be a really caring person. He even brought nona into his own family. His mom janice, dad hiram treated her as one of their own. She was not a girlfriend or whatever. She was a she was our family. When it was time for kevin to go after college, he and nona stayed in touch and in love through a Wireless World of late night chats, texts and emoticons. When he didnt respond, she would wag her finger at him. She would send me text messages, are you alive . Sarcastically trying to get my attention. Which is why he was so taken aback that day a little more than a week before christmas in 2005. It was december 15th. Nona uncharacteristically hadnt reached out to him or answered him since morning. At one point he turned her old taunt back on her, texting, you alive . Even then she didnt respond. This was not like nona. 4 1 2 years we had made a pattern, and thats what we did every day. And if that pattern is broken, it just kind of raised a red flag in my head, why is she not responding . Were you worried . I was concerned. Who knows why things work out the way they do . On that particular night kevin was supposed to drive his mom janice to a christmas party. She remembers being in the car with him. And i said, well, you know, theres lots of reasons why she might not answering her phone, you know. Maybe her plans changed. But by now kevin could think of nothing else. He called his buddy ryan who delivered pizza near nonas apartment, asked him to check on her. And ryan called back with something erie. Her car was in the lot. Her house lights were on, but she wasnt answering the door. And i said, okay. Im going to come over there. They pulled up to nonas front door. Ryan was still there. Kevin joined him. Ryan and i knocked and knocked and rang the doorbell. Nobody came. And we started to get a little frantic. So the two men ran around the condo to nonas back door. Kevin says he rushed up to the sliding glass door without taking a moment to look inside. So when i was grabbing the handle, ryan touched me and he said, do you not see her . I looked at him and said, dudes, there she is. She was laying in her front room. Nona wasnt moving. Kevin threw open the unlocked door and rushed inside. Ryan at one point let my mom in the front door. They called 911 pretty soon after that. Nona dirksmeyer . I straddled her midsection. She wasnt breathing. Her eyes usually luminous. There was no light, nothing at that time all. I talked to her and just prayed that everything was going to be okay until the ems got there. Soon a little apartment was overwhelmed by paramedics and police. It wasnt long before an officer took kevin aside. Janice listened as her sons voice suddenly rose above the chaos. Then i heard him cry out. With a howl . Yeah, thats what it was. And then he asked them if she was dead. And they affirmed, yes, she was. Nona was gone. Nothing kevin could do about it. And as he tried to absorb the enormity of what had happened, he heard a police man ask, could he come downtown, please . They had a few questions about what happened to nona. Coming up. Did kevin know what happened . Police seem to think so. Did you fight recently . We never been in a fight. Watch what happened when police were not asking questions. Oh, my god please tell me what am i going to do . When dateline continues. Whoa, this is awful, try it. Oh no, that looks gross what is that . You gotta try it, its terrible. I dont wanna tray it if its terrible. Its like mango chutney and burnt hair. No thank you, i have a very sensitive palate. Just try it hey guys, i think we should hurry up. If you taste something bad, you want someone else to try it. Its what you do. I cant get it out of my mouth if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. Its what you do. Dog, dog, dog. Aleve it. With aleve pm. Pain happens. The only one to combine a safe sleep aid. And the 12hour pain relieving strength of aleve. So. Magic mornings happen. Theres a better choice. Aleve pm. Thenot actors, people, whove got their eczema under control. With less eczema, you can show more skin. So roll up those sleeves. And help heal your skin from within with dupixent. Dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderatetosevere eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. Dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. Many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin. And, had significantly less itch. Thats a difference you can feel. Dont use if youre allergic to dupixent. Serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. If you take asthma medicines, dont change or stop them without talking to your doctor. So help heal your skin from within, and talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. Hi susan honey . Yeah . I respect that. But that cough looks pretty bad. Try this robitussin honey. The real honey you love. Plus the powerful cough relief you need. Mind if i root through your trash . Robitussin honey. Because its never just a cough. There he is. Oh, wow. Youre doing, uh, youre doing really great with the twirling. Dad, if you want to talk, i have a break at 3 00. Okay, okay. Im going. Im gone. Like like i wasnt here. [ horn honks ] keep keep doing it, buddy. Switch to progressive and you can save hundreds. You know, like the sign says. In pictures, Nona Dirksmeyer ever radiates promise and beauty. But there is something ugly that lives on, too. Her death and the way she was so brutally taken. Nonas mother carol knew it was bad. The moment she arrived that night to see police at nonas apartment. I told them i wanted to see my baby. They told me, of course, you cant. They had the crime scene tape up and everything. The police told carol it was horribly obvious nona had been murdered. But they were on the case, they told her. In fact, they were already trying to break down nonas last moments on earth. When had you last spoke with her . 1 00 last night i called her from my house phone. Questioning the man who may have known her best. Were you in a fight recently . We didnt fight. Kevin jones seemed eager to help the police figure out who killed his girlfriend. He went to the Police Station to answer a few routine questions. What happened . I called and she didnt answer. I thought maybe her phone was dead. Kevin careened from what looked like disbelief to grief. Anger. And back again. A couple questions. A few questions turned into many. Did you have a key to the apartment . Yes. And were pointed. Did you hurt her . I would never i would kill myself before i hurt her. They would leave me alone in the room. They would ask me questions. Oh, my god. Oh, please tell me what am i going to do . After awhile the police told kevin, you could go home. They had other people to talk to, young men nona had been seeing while kevin was away at college. It wasnt long before the detectives found out the alibis of the other men checked out. As he prepared to say goodbye at the funeral home, police asked him to come back to the Police Station. After 20 minutes with the questions, they asked if i would take a polygraph test. What did you say . I said sure. So they strapped him up and ran through the innocuous questions, and then did you cause the death of Nona Dirksmeyer . And then they went out, analyzed it, came back and said what . The man who gave it to me said he had not seen anybody fail a test worse in his 28 or some odd years of giving lie detector tests. Kevin, theres no doubt in my mind that you killed her. The murder of the beauty queen was very big in russellville. Given the nature of the crime, the victim so pretty, the pressure to solve it was quite intense. Imagine how it was for the lead detective mark frost given this was his first homicide case. Though as he talked to kevin, he sounded like a veteran who had seen it all, and was disgusted. You did this. No. Im telling you, youre dead [ bleep ] wrong. You killed her. Im telling you right now. Point blank. No, im telling you right here. At this point it wasnt a questioning. It was more of them yelling at me telling me they knew that i did it. Listen. Yet the police didnt arrest kevin that night. Heres what they did instead. The man they thought would be nonas husband one day was he was the killer. I was told he was a sociopath with a narcissistic personality. Nona had been stabbed repeatedly. They said this was a personal attack, not something a stranger would have done, but something kevin could have. Now carol had two shocks to absorb. I knew hed done it. I knew in my heart it was someone she knew. She would never let anyone in the apartment she didnt know. So now kevins horrifying discovery was subjected to a dark and troubling spin. Detective mark frost said that to him, the crime scene up there looked staged. And a week later there was a press conference, at which the police told the russellville public, dont worry, we know who committed this crime. Police didnt mention the suspects name just then, but it wasnt long before everybody in russellville knew perfectly well it was kevin jones. This is what appeared in the russellville courier three months after nonas murder. Nonas killer remains free, and Russellville Police department has requested formal charges against one suspect. Hiram jones is kevins father. They tried, convicted and sentenced kevin within 90 days of it happening. If you was a stranger walking in as coffee shop visiting russellville and you read that, what would you think . It bothered kevins mother something awful when bumper stickers, justice for nona, started cropping up. After all, she loved nona, too. The assumption that i formed and i think many people formed was that justice for nona meant convict kevin . Convict kevin. Topping our news, police make an arrest in the murder of a 19yearold arkansas beauty queen. On march 31st, 2006, not long after that courier article, police finally did announce the arrest of kevin jones for the murder of Nona Dirksmeyer. Whether or not kevin was convicted in the court of Public Opinion was irrelevant, he was when to stand trial, about to be convicted in where it mattered, a court of law. A print on a lamp used to kill nona, a lamp. No question it was his. On another piece of evidence . The dna was some other males. When dateline. Continues. S. Ot speed. And thats saving me cash with drivewise. My son, he did say that you were the safe option. And thats the nicest thing you ever said to me. So get allstate. Stop bossing. Where good drivers save 40 for avoiding mayhem, like me. This is my sons favorite color, you should try it. [mayhem] you always drive like an old lady . [tina] youre an old lady. Americans have come to lendingtree. Com to shop and compare their loans and credit cards for over 20 years. Now with the new lending tree app you can go beyond loan shopping and see your full Financial Health, including your free credit score, ongoing credit monitoring, your current cash flow and financial future. Then it automatically compares your current loans and credit card payments to their network of lenders and shows you where you can cut your monthly bills. Download it now to check your Financial Health and see how much you can save. A small southern city. A local beauty queen murdered. Her boyfriend accused of the crime. It was hard to be in russellville in 2007 and not be steeped in the story of Nona Dirksmeyer and kevin jones. This case probably had more statewide publicity than any criminal case in many, many years, perhaps ever, in arkansas. Yet of course kevin had a right to a fair trial and impartial jury. His lawyers argued that would be impossible in a place like russellville. Sought venue was changed to the nearby city of ozark. The spotlight is on the small northwest arkansas town of ozark as jury selection to the prosecutor the trials location mattered little. What did matter was the evidence. And he believed there was enough of that to put kevin jones away for years. Jeff phillips was the deputy prosecutor. We believed and i believed that the morning of her death kevin jones came in unexpectedly when the trial opened in 2007 the prosecutor told the jury the reason for this crime was as old as the bible itself. Jealous rage. Kevin jones had walked into his lovers apartment that day in december of 2005 and found within it a cheating heart. While there discovered either a text message from another person and or a used condom rapper on the counter. And things escalated from there. Escalated out of control. And then the prosecutor said with jones repeatedly stabbing nona, then crushing her skull with a lamp base, left his palm print on the lamps bulb. No question it was his . No question it was his. The defense didnt even make an issue that it was his. But its what kevin did next, said the prosecutor, that showed how calculating he could be. Kevin left nonas apartment, he said, with her dead on the floor, then waited through the afternoon until hours later when he could come back with his mother and friend to find nonas body. In my opinion an intentional attempt to be to have someone else find her but him. Trying to make himself look innocent. If that wasnt telling enough, the prosecutors said, then surely this was. Kevin jones police interview. Right there the prosecutor told the jury was kevins capacity for violence, in full view. Sitting and listening to this, kevins father worried how easy it would be for jurors to convict his son. It was just a nightmare. Yet kevins parents never wavered in their belief that their son was just as innocent as he told the police he was. They even bet the family farm on it. We put it up as collateral. And used the money to buy their son the best defense they could. And he needed it. Kevins lawyers knew, their client had become the local poster boy for evil. When youve got something that was this serious, that is this bad, this girl was brutally murdered somebodys got to pay. Somebody has to pay. Somebody. But not kevin, said attorney michael robbins. They sent the readout of that polygraph to an independent expert who reported that the questions seemed designed to make sure kevin failed. And the rest of the states evidence, said the defense, didnt wash either. That bloody palm print on the light bulb of the lamp, the murder weapon. Attorney bill bristol agreed it was kevins print. And no wonder it was. Kevin was frantically trying to save his girlfriends life. So of course he could have touched the light bulb. It is a totally innocent situation. The blood got on the lightbulb at the time the body was discovered. When hes trying to revive her or something . Yes. Hence the lightbulb. The emt said the lamp was within a foot of the body. More disturbing . The evidence not collected by the police. Said the defense, firsttime homicide detective mark frost and the other officers in the department mucked up the case royally. The only area that was fingerprinted was the area around the body. That there was blood near the front door. There was blood on the venetian blinds. The condom wrapper short distance from the body. The police go upstairs to see if thats been flushed. Do not fingerprint the flush handle of the commode, dont dna that, dont dna anything up there. In fact, the defense did its own dna testing, on that condom wrapper. By the prosecutions account it was a key piece of evidence, the thing that likely set kevin off on his murderous rage. But think about it, said lead attorney kenny johnson. If kevin actually saw the condom wrapper, he would have picked it up, would have left his own dna on it. But we sent the prophylactic wrapper off to a lab, and they found the dna. The dna was some other male. Someone elses dna, not kevins. And probably, said the defense, that condom was used by the killer. But who . Neither defense nor prosecution had an answer for that. The dna didnt match anybody in the data base. And kevins lawyers did have this. An alibi for their client. Kevins grandmother told the court he couldnt have killed nona because he was with her, miles away in the town of dover around the time the state said nona died. She is a genuine, downtoearth, very levelheaded person. She was an incredible witness on the stand. But there was one compelling piece of evidence in the prosecutions case, said the defense, and they just wanted jurors to see more of it. That police video of kevin. She didnt deserve this. She deserved a life. The defense had jurors watch all of it. It was betting this image would convince jurors they should change what may have been that First Impression and decide kevin wasnt the killer the prosecutors had painted but a griefstricken young man who was innocent. So what to believe . In the courthouse the jury wrestled with its verdict. 50 miles dow